The United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Against Women issued a lengthy list of its observations on Japan’s sixth periodic report on sexual discrimination on August 7. In section 35 of the report on the status of 1979’s Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the committee welcomed the increased prison times under Japan’s Act Banning Child Prostitution and Child Pornography. However, it expressed concern “at the normalization of sexual violence in the State party as reflected by the prevalence of pornographic video games and cartoons featuring rape, gang rape, stalking and the sexual molestation of and girls.” It also noted that the current child pornography laws do not cover virtual child pornography — material such as some manga, anime, and software that explicitly depict fictional children.

The committee then strongly urged Japan “to ban the sale of video games or cartoons involving rape and sexual violence against women which normalize and promote sexual violence against women and girls.” It further recommends that this issue be covered in the revised act.

While the bill on the act’s revision was introduced in the Japanese parliament last year, the government decided to study the issue of virtual child pornography for three years.

The entire objective of the game is to rape women with varying levels of violence — sometimes stalking them first, sometimes using gang rape scenarios, and sometimes forcing them into abortions afterward.

Kulwicki sums up the insidious harms of making a game of rape:

The premise of the game reinforces the idea of rape as okay and not a big deal. It reinforces the idea that women exist for the sexual pleasure and abuse of men.

I applaud the your efforts to identify the harm and social consequences of video games such as rape, lay. As an advocate for the elimination of violence against women and girls for 25 years, i have found that the only way to end this epidemic is to start with naming the effects of objectification of women.